Selling
Buying FAQs
Sellers list for free and receive 100% of the final bid.
Our passion and experience encompass watches of all types and eras, from vintage icons to sought-after contemporary pieces. Click SELL to tell us more.
If you have an interesting watch with realistic price expectations, then we are likely to want to help!
Not everything will be consigned, but every watch will be given equal consideration.
When you submit a watch for consideration, we will ask for key details of it. When we decide to consign a watch, our copywriters will contact you to gather further information.
We aim to ensure our listings are the most accurate of any online auction platform. For this reason, please tell us as much as possible about your watch, including any flaws or faults.
While Watch Collecting does perform some due diligence including checking the serial number against the Art Loss Register, Watch Collecting shall not be liable to the seller or the buyer for any error or misstatement in, or omission from the description of any Auction Lot.
Should a watch be flagged in the Art Loss Register Database, your contact details will be passed to the Register to enable them to investigate the circumstances of the match.
Sellers can request that a lot is auctioned with a reserve. The value of any reserve is agreed in consultation with the Watch Collecting team to ensure it is realistic.
Once a reserve is agreed with Watch Collecting, you may reduce it or withdraw it by written notice to Watch Collecting, but you cannot increase it without prior written consent. Please note that Watch Collecting has the right to make up the difference between the highest bid and the reserve if the highest bid does not meet the reserve.
Once an auction lot is open for bidding any registered user can ask a question about it in the comments below each listing. Sellers should respond as soon as possible.
Our moderators will allow users to add constructive opinions about an auction lot, but if you believe any comment is inaccurate please contact us immediately.
Every listing is presented to the seller for approval before it goes live. It is the seller’s responsibility to ensure that the listing is an accurate description of the auction lot. The proposed start date for the auction will be discussed at this point.
No, you cannot, bid on your own auction, nor can you have a friend bid on your auction on your behalf.
If we believe that you or someone on your behalf has bid on your Auction Lot and the Auction Lot does not sell to a real bidder as a result, you will be responsible for covering all costs incurred by Watch Collecting that have resulted from skewing the results of your Auction Lot and your breach of the Terms and Conditions.
If it is found that you or someone on your behalf has "bid up" an auction, we will have to divulge this information to the buyer and provide them with the option to no longer purchase the Auction Lot at no expense to them. If they would like to no longer purchase the Auction Lot, you (the Seller) will be responsible for covering all costs incurred by Watch Collecting, you will be banned from using the platform in the future and you may be pursued for committing an act of fraud or other criminal offences.
Once you have submitted your auction lot to Watch Collecting and the auction has gone live in our ‘Coming Soon’ section, you cannot withdraw your watch. If you do withdraw your watch, you will be obliged to pay the fees to Watch Collecting in accordance with clause 11 in the Terms and Conditions that would have been paid by the Buyer, calculated on the last reserve you agreed with Watch Collecting, or if none, a minimum charge.
When an auction lot sells successfully on the platform, a 6% premium is automatically deducted from the winning bidder’s credit card. This is a fee for using the platform and not a down payment on the auction lot. The seller and buyer are then digitally ‘introduced’ to complete the transaction. If the watch is to be shipped, you will be responsible for securely packaging it, but the cost of shipping and insurance will be borne by the buyer.
Once the highest bid has been accepted on an auction, the auction listing will be moved to our ‘Sold’ section, where the highest bid, end date of the auction, all photos and the description will be displayed.
The bids and comments made on the auction while it was live will be removed. If an auction did not meet reserve, the listing will be removed from the website but can still be accessed through old links and Google searches. We do not remove an auction listing, but if we were to, it would be done at Watch Collecting’s own discretion.
If the auction lot fails to meet its reserve price, then the seller will be notified of the highest bid submitted during the auction. The seller will then have 24 hours from the end of the auction to either accept or reject this bid. This 24-hour period can be extended by agreement between us and the buyer.
If there is no agreement to extend and the buyer is not notified of the acceptance of their final bid within 24 hours from the end of the auction, it will be deemed to be rejected. If the bid is accepted by the seller, we will put the buyer in touch with the seller for the sale of the auction lot.
If the highest bid after the auction is rejected by the seller, then we will offer the seller the option of listing the auction lot in our ‘Buy Now’ section. This allows the possibility of a post-auction deal.
Please note that Watch Collecting, at our own discretion, has the right to make up the difference between the highest bid and the reserve if the highest bid does not meet the reserve.
If the auction lot does not sell when the auction period is finished, the auction lot will continue being listed on the site for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days (or more if agreed by the seller) in our Buy Now section. In this section, the watch can be purchased for the price listed (buyer’s premium included) via the ‘Buy Now’ button or you can make a ‘Final Offer’ to the seller, who can choose to accept or counter until a price is agreed
If you have a consignment to discuss, but you are not ready to sign up with an account, please contact us now.
Buying
Selling FAQsIt costs nothing to register with Watch Collecting and once registered, you are able to sell, bid or ask questions on any listing.
The entirety of the winning bid will be paid to the seller of the auction lot. When you are the highest bidder in a Watch Collecting online auction, and the auction lot has met or exceeded the reserve, we charge you a 6% premium (plus VAT or other applicable sales tax) with a minimum charge as below.
| Currency of Auction |
Minimum Fee
exclusive of VAT |
|---|---|
| British Pound | £500 |
| Euro | €500 |
| U.S. Dollar | $500 |
| Canadian Dollar | CAN$750 |
| Australian Dollar | AU$1,000 |
| Swiss Franc | CHF500 |
| Hong Kong Dollar | HK$5000 |
There are no additional administrative fees on top of this from Watch Collecting.
If you have a question about the auction lot, post it in the form of a comment on the listing. The seller can then reply. This avoids duplicated questions from other bidders.
Unless being sold at ‘No Reserve’, all auction lots have a reserve.
Our platform prevents sniping by automatically adding more time. Any bid received within the last two minutes will automatically trigger an extra two minutes to be added. After this point, only once there are no further bids within a two-minute window will the auction end.
Once a bid has been placed, you cannot withdraw it. If you as the successful Buyer fail to complete the purchase of an auction for any reason other than the default of the Seller, you will be obliged to pay the 6% premium (plus VAT or other applicable sales tax) (minimum £500 (plus VAT or other applicable sales tax), as detailed in our fees section above) of your high bid.
What happens at the end of the auction if I have won the bidding? When an auction lot sells successfully on the platform, a 6% premium (plus VAT or other applicable sales tax) (minimum £500 (plus VAT or other applicable sales tax)) is automatically deducted from the highest bidder’s credit card. This is a fee for using the platform and not a down payment on the auction lot. You are then digitally ‘introduced’ to the seller to complete the transaction.
There are NO refunds on the buyer’s premium.
Can I follow up with the seller after the auction ends if it failed to meet reserve and I am still interested?
If the auction lot fails to meet its reserve price, we offer sellers the option of listing the watch in our ‘Buy Now’ section. This allows the possibility of a post-auction deal.
Watch Collecting hosts auction listings, but the seller is responsible for confirming the accuracy of the listing. As a bidder, it is your responsibility to satisfy yourself of the details and condition of the auction lot before placing a bid.
All sales by traders made to consumers, whether sold by an individual or a business, do fall under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The Act provides that wherever goods are purchased by a consumer, they must meet certain minimum standards.
If purchased from a trader, the sale item must be of “satisfactory quality”, be “as described” and be “fit for purpose”. Therefore, items sold by traders must not be inherently faulty at the time of sale, allowing for the fact that they are second-hand, must match the description and allowing for factors like price, must be fit for their purpose.
For more information on United Kingdom consumer rights please see the Citizens Advice website.
The buyer’s premium is a fee for using the platform. Watch Collecting is not responsible for the postage or insurance of any auction lots, and any cost associated with this is the responsibility of the buyer.
A link to a shipping insurance service that works with most tracked carriers will be provided post-auction. The provision of this link is for your convenience only and in no way implies an endorsement or responsibility for the service provided by this company.
Based on location, local collection may be possible on agreement with the seller.
The opening bid on each auction lot can be anything from £1/€1/$1/CHF1/AU$1.
After the opening bid, the increments will be as below and will work in this way when opting for absentee bidding.
(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)100 increments up to (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)10,000
(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)250 increments from (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)10,000 to (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)50,000
(£/€/$/CHF/AU$)500 increments from (£/€/$/CHF/AU$)50,000 upwards
Watch collecting is not responsible for any fees, taxes, or duty payable to import a watch. Buyers should familiarise themselves with any charges or restriction relevant to their country before placing a bid.
We classify our sellers into two different categories: trade, and private.
Trade sellers are acting as a business not as an individual consumer. The business may own the watch, or they may have been given the authority by the end consumer to manage the sale of the auction lot on their behalf on a Sale or Return basis. The person listed has been appointed by the business to be the point of contact with whom you will conclude the sale of the auction lot if you've won the auction. As a trade seller, they must follow all government requirements and regulations and operate under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The Act provides that wherever goods are purchased by a consumer, they must meet certain minimum standards. If purchased from a dealer, the sale item must be of “satisfactory quality”, be “as described” and be “fit for purpose”. Therefore, items sold by dealers must not be inherently faulty at the time of sale, allowing for the fact that they are second-hand, must match the description and allowing for factors like price, must be fit for their purpose. For more information on your consumer rights please see the Citizens Advice website.
Private sellers are acting as the direct end consumer. The person listed as the private seller will personally own the watch. You will deal with them directly to conclude the sale of the auction lot if you've won the auction.
Our sellers define the current condition of the watch based on the following criteria:
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| AA | May have been lightly worn/retail handling. May have light marks. |
| A | Worn. Marks, but not significant. |
| B | Significant marks which may not be removable. |
| C | Heavily worn. Significant marks/dents which may not be removable. |
| Vintage | Signs of wear and visible imperfections commensurate with age. Replacement components and case refinishing may be evident, and movement may not be running to original specification. |
The Watch Register
The Watch Register is the largest international database of lost and stolen watches available for due diligence.
It is the central database used by police forces, insurance companies and theft victims to register and recover losses.